


diamonds mean nothing when you love the dirt more

by littlesaintmick



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Cheating, Extramarital Affairs, M/M, alpha dean ambrose, background becky/charlotte, background seth/finn, but this is pretty strictly ambreigns, god typing vince/roman hurt my soul, listen it's not as bad as it sounds just wait, mentioned roman/others, omega roman reigns, other characters to be added as needed, roman fantasizes about every single person he meets, so like
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-06-16 10:31:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15435087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlesaintmick/pseuds/littlesaintmick
Summary: roman reigns has been married to vince mcmahon for four years. they recently moved to a ranch, so that roman could live in a place where he'd be happy, but they have to hire a ranch-hand to help roman out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> listen, i hate cheating, but this gets justified pretty quickly, please don't come @ me with pitchforks 
> 
> also i know this is like the shortest chapter ever of anything but i just wanted to get it started :p

“You-you bought what?”

“Five of them. I think we should breed them.”

Roman gaped at Vince from across the table. 

“I-honey, I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I mean-I can’t manage to take care of all of those animals on my own.”

Vince sighed and chewed on his steak. He was irritated, but Roman wasn’t surprised. Not after five years with the man. Roman licked his lips and put on the most genuine smile he could muster.

“I’m looking forward to moving up there. I think it’ll be good for us.”

That seemed to placate the alpha enough, and he stopped chewing so angrily. 

“If...maybe we could hire some help? Just someone else who knows about horses and how to care for them. And I wouldn’t need more than one person.”

Vince seemed to be considering it, and that was really all Roman could ever ask for from his husband. 

\---

Roman thanked the men who’d helped them move-it was a nice little family owned company and the men were nice; big, muscled alphas, bald heads and tattoos. Roman couldn’t help but blush when he shook their hands. He tipped them, too, because they’d worked hard. 

Roman turned to look at the interior of his new home. It was….massive. And a little opulent. Thankfully, Vince had allowed Roman to take over most of the design choices-Roman was the one who was going to spend the most time in the house, after all-so it wasn’t as crazy as Vince’s other properties tended to be. Roman hoped that having the home here, the ranch, would mean he’d have to see those other places less. He loved and appreciated all that his husband provided for him, but he really did wish-

Well. It didn’t matter what he wished, this was what he had.

There was a knock at the door, and Roman tilted his head. He wasn’t expecting anyone, not until his family was flying out in a few days to visit him. Roman answered the door. 

“Hello.”

There was a couple, one man a little taller, with long, dark hair, a thickly muscled body under tight jeans and a hoodie, and a slightly shorter man, pale skin and short brown hair and big blue eyes, and a heavily rounded stomach. 

“Hello! We live just down the way, and we wanted to greet our new neighbors. We don’t get many new people here. My name is Finn Balor-Rollins, this is my husband-”

“Seth Rollins-Balor. It’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m Roman...Reigns. It’s nice to meet y’all, too. Would you like to come in? We-literally just got finished with all of our things being delivered, it’s a little bare right now.”

Roman led them inside, offering them something to drink-Finn asked for water, and Roman was quick to get him some-he hadn’t gotten pregnant yet, but he could only imagine what it felt like. He often imagined what it felt like. 

“So are you on your own?”

Roman looked at Seth-his arm was tight around Finn’s shoulders, keeping him close, and Roman felt jealous-and laughed a little breathlessly.

“No, my-my husband will be living here, too, but he travels for business a lot.”

“Oh, we look forward to meeting him! Would you two like to come to dinner? We could welcome you to the neighborhood properly.”

“I’d love that, thank you. Once we get more settled, though.”

“Of course. We have to get ready for the start of the school year, ourselves.”

“Yeah?”

Seth reached over and-slightly possessively-rubbed Finn’s heavy stomach. 

“One of our children is just starting kindergarten, the other is in second grade. It’s always a hectic time for us. Especially with this one on the way.”

Roman smiled, and tried not to think too hard about what he was feeling, seeing a loving alpha caring for a pregnant omega. 

“Do you have any-”

“No, no. Not yet, at least.”

Seth narrowed his eyes a little, and Roman caught the look, but neither said anything. 

“So how long have y’all lived around here?”

Finn smiled, bright and happy and snuggled against his alpha. 

“We moved here...darling, was it six or seven years ago?”

“Seven. We both preferred living in smaller towns, and we finally got the opportunity to move out here, and we took it. The kids love it, this is a great area for families.”

Roman felt his eye twitch. He and Seth shared another look, and he smiled. 

“I can imagine. How far along are you?”

Finn rubbed his hands over his stomach, fond and sweet, and Seth’s face softened. 

“Eight months.”

“Wow, you’re almost there, huh?”

“Yes! I’m very excited, so are our two children-Conall and Einin-it really is close to my due date, and given that Conall and Einin were both a week early, it’s only even closer.”

Finn said that with a laugh, and Roman tried not to let his envy show. He put on a mostly-genuine smile.

“Congratulations.”

They stayed and talked for a bit longer, Roman telling them a bit more about his husband and why they moved up to this town. Finn and Seth were nice, and Roman was looking forward to getting to know them better. Though he still felt a pang of envy whenever he’d catch them gently brushing their fingers over the others’ mating scar, and when Seth carefully helped Finn stand up, a large hand on his stomach. Roman blushed at the sight of Seth’s hands, and was reminded of how his heat was expected to hit soon.

Not that it would even be a real heat. Damn birth control. Even though it wouldn’t be a real heat, he had a flash mental image of Seth’s big, warm hands touching him through it. Roman shook his head and tried not to think about that, instead smiling and seeing the couple out of the house. Roman sighed when the door was closed, alone in the house once again. He turned and frowned, looking at the stacks of boxes. The alphas who’d delivered their things had put all the furniture in the right places, too-Roman had maybe thought a little about the two of them taking him on the couch, but he couldn’t make himself act on it-so he was happy that he at least didn’t have to move the bed or anything like that by himself. 

He sighed and moved to the kitchen, cutting open boxes and started unpacking. 

\---

Roman flopped onto the giant mattress and smiled. There was nothing better than wearing clean clothes on a clean bed after a shower, he was damn sure of that. He bit his lip and scooted up the bed so that he could sit against the headboard, and he grabbed his computer from where he’d set it, opening up Skype. Vince still hadn’t come to the house, even after a week, and Roman was getting lonely. 

Though he’d begun making some friends. Finn and Seth, of course, and Roman had met their children, and some other people in the area. The houses were a good distance from each other, so he didn’t have many close neighbors, but they all seemed to know each other. There was one couple down the road in the other direction, Becky and Charlotte, who were nice-both alphas, which had surprised Roman a bit. He hadn’t managed to keep from blushing when Charlotte winked at him, either, Becky smirking when it happened. They were both very good looking, and Roman had tucked a piece of hair behind his ear and stumbled with some words about Vince.

There was another woman in the area, Asuka, who was single. Roman hadn’t been able to sniff out her status-unusual for him, he’d always been known for having a nose like a bloodhound-so he wondered about her. She was fun, though, bright hair and a lot of energy. Roman hoped to get to know her better in the future.

He had settled in nicely, overall, apart from the loneliness. He grinned when he saw his father’s face pop up on the screen. 

“Dad!”

“Hello, Roman.”

Hearing his father’s voice immediately soothed him. 

“How is the new house?”

“It’s beautiful, it’s-the area is gorgeous. It’s just like Grandpa’s ranch.”

Sika smiled. 

“Good. Has…..your husband come home yet?”

Roman sighed, knowing what Sika would think.

“Not yet. He’s still in Berlin, until next week.”

“Roman-”

“I know, Dad, I know.”

Sika had never approved of Roman’s marriage to Vince, and Roman...couldn’t entirely blame his dad. It had never really felt like a real marriage, anyway; Vince had needed an omega wife, and Roman was young and thought the love would come at one point, so he’d accepted the proposal after a year of dating. Roman had even believed that he had genuine feelings for Vince at one point. Vince had never abused him, at least, and that was better than some of Roman’s relationships. And Roman would always be grateful to Vince for all that the alpha had given him, even if it seemed like some things just wouldn’t happen. 

Maybe because Vince already had two children by his ex-wife. Children that weren’t much younger than Roman himself. 

Though Roman did get along with Vince’s ex-wife. She was a beta and a real firecracker, and Roman knew Vince didn’t like their friendship, but he didn’t care. Roman had had….some issues, with Vince’s children-Shane and Stephanie-but he always tried his best to be civil and caring towards them. 

Roman smiled and came back to himself. 

“How are you guys doing?”

“Everyone here is good, your brothers are excited to start their senior year.”   
“Yeah? They around right now?”

“Jimmy! Jey! Roman is calling!”

Roman watched as his two younger brothers zoomed onto the screen, practically jumping on Sika. Roman had to laugh, they were getting a little too big to be doing things like that. 

“Hey guys!”

“ROMAN!”

“ROME!”

“You guys excited about school this year?”

“Yeah! We’re both still on the team and our coaches say-”

“They say we’re gonna do really well! We’re practicing all the time-”

Roman happily listened to his brothers telling him all about their plans, Jimmy blushing and getting embarrassed when Jey brought up the girl Jimmy had recently asked out. 

“Don’t tease your brother, Jey. I always liked Naomi, Jimmy, I’m happy you finally went for it.” 

Jimmy and Jey wrestled a bit until Sika told them to go off and start dinner. Roman laughed and shook his head. 

“I miss them.”

“I know. Once you’re settled and they have a break from school, we’ll all come up. I’ll even see if Nia can come, she should have similar breaks as the boys.”

“Are they with you all week and then Momma?”

“Yeah, your mother has them the first week of school.” 

Roman was happy that his parents, though separated, were still close and happy to share equal custody. 

“I’m gonna call Momma tomorrow.”

“Good, she misses you.”

Roman was about to respond, but yawned instead. He blushed and laughed, and so did Sika. 

“I think it’s time for you to go to bed, Roman.”

“Yeah, I think so, too. Good night, Dad. I love you.”

“I love you too, Roman.”

Roman shut his laptop down and turned the tv on-he needed some kind of noise to sleep-and curled up under the fluffy blanket, happy to have talked to his family. They may not be with him physically, but he always knew they were with him.

\---

Roman pulled his hair back and grinned. It was far too late in the year to plant anything, but he could always begin preparing the grounds for next year. And he needed something to do outside, given that Vince had shooed him away while he conducted interviews for the ranch hand position. Roman felt as though he should be the one giving interviews, since the person would be working most directly with him, but Vince insisted. 

Vince was the one signing the person’s checks. All Roman could do was hope. 

He put it out of his mind as he began clearing out the fenced-in area of the yard. Roman was looking forward to actually planting things, to having a real garden. They’d lived in the city since their wedding and while he’d been allowed a few houseplants, Vince had never been a fan of them. 

It was mid-day by the time Roman stopped. His body had a pleasant ache beginning, the satisfied sort of ache from a day of long, happy work. There had been cars coming and going, people applying for the position, and Roman hoped Vince had made a good choice. 

“Roman!”

Roman looked up at the sound of his husband’s voice. He rinsed his hands off under the hose and wiped them on his jeans, walking inside to where he’d heard Vince. He was in the living room, and there was another person there. Roman approached slowly and stopped a few feet away, and the person turned, and Roman had to stifle a gasp. 

They were  _ stunning _ . 

Curly, somewhat wild red hair, a round face with a flat-ish nose, and the most captivating blue eyes Roman had ever seen. Their body was tall, as tall as Roman, but more lithe and thin at the waist with broad shoulders and big arms. They were in a black tshirt and jeans, a baseball cap in their hands and dirty work boots. 

“Roman, this is our new ranch hand, Dean Ambrose.”

Dean held his hand out, and Roman shook it, brushing a strand of his own hair behind his ear as he smiled. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Dean.”

“Nice to meet you, too, Mr. McMahon.”   
Roman felt a little uncomfortable being called that. He always introduced himself with his family’s last name, but he supposed Dean wouldn’t know that. Roman still smiled and pulled his hand away, trying not to get lost in the look Dean was giving him. 

“Uh-I look forward to working with you, Dean. I assume Vince told you about all of the responsibilities involved, and the small house available to you if you’d like to live nearer the animals?”

Dean nodded. 

“I’ve been told all that, yeah. I’m looking forward to working here. Beautiful piece of land. Can’t wait to see the horses.”

“They’ll be arriving on Monday, if you’d like to come help prepare the stables.”

Dean smiled very softly and Roman hoped neither he or Vince noticed his blush. Dean’s voice was deep and a little scratchy, and Roman was immediately drawn to it.

“I’ll be here. Gotta move my stuff in, too.”

Roman perked up at that. Roman had suggested building a small house on the property for the ranch hand that they hired to live in-that’s how Roman’s family had always done it, and he was maybe too excited too fast about the idea of Dean being a five minute walk away. 

Vince shook Dean’s hand and Roman walked Dean to the front door, smiling at him and shaking his hand once again. Dean didn’t let go immediately, and Roman bit his lip.

“I-thank you, for applying for this position. Lord knows I can’t take care of all these horses on my own.”

“More than happy to. Guess I’ll be seeing you tomorrow, Mr. McMahon.”

“Please, call me Roman. My last name-I actually use my-it’s Reigns. Roman Reigns.”

Dean smiled and Roman’s eyes darted to look at his dimples, and Roman couldn’t help but blush even deeper. 

“Roman Reigns. I’ll see you later.”   
“I’ll see you, Dean Ambrose.”

Dean walked out, heading to a big old truck and driving away. Roman watched until he couldn’t see the white of the truck anymore, closing the door and taking a deep breath. 

This was going to be...a hell of a place to live.

\---


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, here's the long awaited update. the pacing on this story is a nightmare, but i'm fairly happy with this chapter. it's cute and dean and roman get closer, and there's a lil touch of smut here and there. enjoy.

Roman looked out the window and grinned at the sight of a white truck pulling up to the small house. He quickly tied his hair up and pulled on a hoodie as he went outside, shoving his hands in the pockets as he strolled up the truck. Dean hopped out, and Roman noticed a slight limp in his step. He didn’t bring it up-he figured it’d be rude-and smiled at Dean. 

“Morning, Dean.”

“Good mornin’, Roman.”

Dean had a small trailer hooked up to the back of his truck, and Roman followed him as he opened the door up. There wasn’t much inside-the little house was furnished fully, so he didn’t need much in that sense-and Dean carefully pulled out a box. 

“Do you want some help?”

Dean raised an eyebrow at him, and was silent for a long minute before nodding.

“Thanks.”

Roman smiled, and blushed, more than happy to pull one of the boxes out, carrying it to the small house. It was more of a double-wide trailer than a proper house, but Roman had made sure it was comfortable and updated. He’d insisted on enough room for a fairly large bed and a bathtub, wanting whoever ended up working for them to be happy with the living space. He and Dean set boxes down and went back for more, quietly talking as they went. Roman enjoyed talking to Dean, he discovered. The man was fairly soft-spoken and his voice was lovely, gruff and deep and with an occasional scratch to it, and he easily made Roman laugh. It was nice to have someone to talk to like that, Roman decided.

Not only was the conversation more than pleasant, they quickly found that they worked very well together, too. Unloading the trailer took barely any time at all, and Roman was a little sad when they were done. He pulled his hoodie off and tied it around his waist, not unaware of the way Dean glanced at his chest. Roman didn’t blame him, he was fairly well-endowed in all the places he knew alphas liked. Roman wiped the back of his hand over his forehead and smiled at Dean. 

“Uh-if you want, I can-I can help unpack, but-if you want some privacy, just-some time to get settled and all, uh-I’ll be cookin’ tonight, if you’d like to join me.”

Dean pulled off his trucker cap and held it in front of his stomach, looking terribly shy under his long hair as he smiled. 

“I’d like that, Roman, quite a bit. Uh-as for staying and helping unpack, I think I’ve got it. Kinda wanna lay down for a bit before really explorin’ the ranch, if that’s alright.”

Roman bit his lip and nodded. 

“Absolutely. Come up to the house whenever you’d like, and I’ll show you round the stables and everything.”

Dean nodded at him, that shy smile still on his face, and Roman turned and left back to the main house. He could not stop smiling. Something about Dean just brightened up his mood, and made him feel, simultaneously, very peaceful. 

It was about two hours before he heard a knock on the door, pulling his hoodie back on before answering, and seeing Dean slightly sleep-mussed and bleary-eyed was a bit much for him. 

“You ready?”

“Yup.”

Roman led Dean around-keeping his pace slow, aware still of Dean’s limp-he was curious about that, but he kept to his priorities to helping Dean get used to the ranch. They went around to the stables first, where the horses would be kept. 

“So you know some about keeping horses?”

Roman had stopped to stroke his hands over a horse blanket, and he turned his head to look at Dean where he leaned against a post. 

“Yeah, my family-uh-I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of us, but...we’re kinda well known, I guess. I didn’t know that ‘til I was in my twenties, of course, but my grandfather and...a lot of my aunts and uncles and cousins breed horses. My grandfather bred a whole mess of some of the fastest racehorses in America for years.”

Roman could see the moment of recognition in Dean’s eyes, and it made him blush. 

“Oh-wait, your grandfather-she was-”

“Oh yeah. When I was a kid, I spent a lot of my time at her ranch-was a lot like this one-all throughout...well, forever, and I always helped take care of the animals and helped train them and I learned a lot about breeding them and everything.”

“Damn. You must’ve been pretty well off, I know some of those horses sold for crazy.”

Roman laughed, turning fully to face Dean, leaning his hips out a bit, on instinct more than anything.

“Yeah, though I also didn’t realize that until I was older. I honestly never cared, I just wanted to work with the horses.”

“Nice to hear you ain’t just-”

Dean snapped his jaw shut, and Roman tilted his head.

“What?”

Dean cleared his throat, pulling his hat off, twisting it a bit in his hands.

“I just-lots of people come moving here from the city and don’t...they idealize it, and-I’ve seen a lot of animals gettin’ abandoned and stuff like that cause people don’t understand the work it takes. Guess it’s just nice to know that...you ain’t like that.”

Dean glanced up at Roman, swallowing, clearly still nervous.

“May I ask something?”

“Sure.”   
“Your husband….he doesn’t seem to have the same attitude?”

It shocked a laugh out of Roman, and he brought a hand up to cover his mouth at the noise. He really hadn’t expected that to be what came out of Dean’s mouth. He took a moment to laugh, deep from his belly, before catching his breath.

“Oh-oh, absolutely-no, Vince-he absolutely is a city man, born and raised. He basically bought this place to shut me up-”

Dean’s demeanor changed at that and Roman’s back straightened, immediately thinking of ways to placate the alpha, trying to laugh it off. 

“Oh-I didn’t mean like that-I just never liked living in the city, and wanted to move out somewhere more rural.”

Dean seemed to relax, but Roman spotted him rubbing at his hip and thigh.

“Do you wanna head back inside? We can eat tonight and finish up looking around tomorrow, after the horses get delivered.”   
Dean blushed but followed Roman into the house, making sure to get any dirt off of his shoes beforehand. It was incredibly considerate; Vince hadn’t cared the handful of times he’d been home, and Roman had found it annoying, but of course, he’d said nothing. Roman led Dean into the kitchen, serving him a massive bowl of stew-he had a feeling that the alpha had a hell of an appetite, so he’d made plenty for the two of them. Dean stood, unsure, next to the island.

“Uh-should I-”

“Here, follow me. I was gonna eat in the living room and watch something.”

“I just-is your husband here? He gonna get mad about you dining with...you know, another alpha?”

Roman plopped onto the couch and shrugged. 

“He’s not here, and I dunno. If he does, that’s his problem. I don’t see a problem with us sharing a meal.”

Dean gingerly sat on the other end of the couch, and they both started eating, deciding on a news program. Roman was happy to discover that Dean’s wit applied to every topic-it made watching news about politics much more bearable-and that Dean was far from a conservative in his own views. Roman had always avoided political or social topics with Vince, knowing they’d disagree with each other, but he and Dean seemed to align on...everything that came up. 

Roman finished his first bowl and stood, offering to take Dean’s and refill it. He liked serving people food, and he liked serving Dean food. Roman wondered, briefly, as he spooned stew into the bowl, if he felt this way about Dean because of a genuine connection, or if he just was so desperate for the positive attention of an alpha that he felt clingy. He supposed it could be a mix of the two feelings, but he sat down just slightly closer to Dean when he returned to the living room. It truly was easy to talk to Dean, though. Roman didn’t once feel the need to hide his opinion or lie to please the alpha, and he found himself laughing and smiling more than he had in months. 

Dean glanced at his phone after a while and blushed, looking shyly at Roman and trying to brush his bangs out of his eyes. 

“Uh-it’s getting late, I should head on back. Uh-I really enjoyed this, though. I’m happy I got to know you before we started working. I-”

Dean licked his lips, and Roman found himself a little entranced.

“I think we’re gonna get along real well, Roman.”

Roman nodded, feeling his own cheeks heat up with a blush, and he stood to take Dean’s bowl to the kitchen and to walk him to the door.

“Dean, if-if you want, until you get a chance to stock up on more stuff-if you’d like, you could come over for meals.”

“Don’t wanna put you out.”

“You wouldn’t, I-I like cooking, it’s a big thing in my family, and-well, most of the time, I’m here by myself. Seems a shame to cook a whole bunch and not have anyone to share it with.”

Dean smiled at him again and God, that really was a hell of a sensation for Roman.

“Well, when you put it that way, I may take you up on that offer.”

They stood there, with the front door open, the cool September air blowing past them, staring at each other. It didn’t feel uncomfortable, or like there was nothing to say. It was more like they didn’t feel the need to fill the silence, that anything they could say would be superfluous. Roman took a deep breath and ducked his head down, brushing his hair behind his ear. He looked up at Dean and smiled, that shy feeling striking him again.

“Good night, Dean.”   
“Good night, Roman.”   
Roman watched for a bit as Dean walked off into the dark of the night, to his little home, and Roman closed the door, taking an even deeper breath. He was still smiling, and he bit his lip, wishing he had someone to talk to about the new presence in his life.

\---

Roman put the car in park and shifted in his seat. The discomfort of his heat was building-suppressed by his birth control though it was, it still impacted his body, and he was only a few days out from it. He hoped his hormones-again, somewhat suppressed-wouldn’t negatively interact with Finn or Seth. 

The couple had invited him to dinner again, as they’d done regularly since Finn had given birth, to a beautiful alpha son. Roman had made sure to send them plenty of gifts and had even babysat for them a few nights, happy to spend time with Conall and Einin. They were fun kids, and they enjoyed meeting the horses. 

Thinking of the horses only made Roman think of Dean, and how Dean had been with the kids; succinctly, he was amazing with them. He and Dean had been working together for a month and a half now, easily setting into a daily routine of breakfast, feeding the horses, grooming them, letting them out to graze and wander, having lunch themselves, taking the horses for rides, cleaning out the stables, feeding the horses again, and-if Vince wasn’t home-having dinner together. It was so simple and easy, though Roman must admit that his thoughts about Dean had turned a certain direction as his heat built. He knew it would only last two days, but all he could do was think of the alphas in his life-the virile ones, the capable ones-taking him and seeing him through it. 

He’d thought about Becky and Charlotte, the idea of the two lovely alphas taking turns on him, and even the men he’d hired to help during the move-Seth hadn’t made many appearances in his fantasies, perhaps because Roman’s brain thoroughly registered him as Off The Market. But no one had been on his mind as much as Dean. 

Roman knocked on the door, letting out a shocked ‘oomph’ as he was tackled by two young children. He hugged them back, picking Einin up fairly easily and walking into the house. Finn was sat at the couch, nursing Faolan-Roman appreciated their dedication to giving their children very Irish names-and Roman set Einin down, sitting next to Finn and lightly bumping his forehead against his. 

“Hey. How’re you feeling?”

Finn smiled, groaning a little and shifting Faolan in his arms. 

“Much better than last week. Think my body’s finally getting back on track.”

Roman reached up and gently stroked his thumb over Faolan’s forehead-he definitely was taking after Seth already, his features darker like his father. The older children both took after their mother, pale and dark-haired and light-eyed. Roman wondered if his own children-if he were ever lucky enough to have them-would take after him. 

“Let me get you some water.”

Finn thanked him and Roman headed off to the kitchen, where Seth was busy cooking, and trying to keep Conall from touching raw meat. 

“Cut it out-oh, hello, hey Roman.”

Roman laughed as Conall managed to sneak off with a roll, and Seth shook his head.

“Those kids and their appetite, man. Damn incorrigible.”

Roman bumped his forehead against the side of Seth’s head and purred a little. He’d really bonded quickly with Seth and Finn, in different ways, but equally deeply. It was nice to have friends, good friends, and Roman filled a glass with water before gasping, reaching down to press a hand to his hip.

“Roman? What’s wrong?”

He felt warm hands on him, one on his back, the other on his shoulder, and he gasped, setting the glass down carefully on the counter.

“I-I’m sorry-sorry, it’s nothing-my-it’s….my heat’s comin’ up.”

Roman hesitated to look up at Seth, especially as the alpha didn’t respond for a moment, but he looked up to see nothing but concern and care in Seth’s big brown doe eyes.

“Sorry-I should’ve stayed home-”

“No, no-it’s okay, Roman, let’s sit down-”

Seth helped Roman back to the living room, calling out for Conall and Einin to go play in their rooms for a while. Finn had a similar look of concern on his face and burped Faolan before covering his chest back up. 

“Roman? What’s happened?”

“It’s really nothing-my….my stupid heat is about to hit and the birth control I’m on-it messes with it, so I get these weird...flashes, I guess, before having a suppressed heat-I’ve been on this regimen for years, but it just-I’m still not used to it, I guess.”

“Years? Roman, that can’t be healthy.”

Roman shrugged, trying to laugh it off.

“Maybe, but...that’s just how it has to be. Vince-he doesn’t really want me to have heats unless he can be there, but...he’s never really around when the time comes.”

Roman glanced at Seth, knowing he’d be angry, and he was right. The alpha was fuming, and Finn thankfully intercepted by handing him their son. It was an excellent way to make Seth calm down, he immediately switched to a more relaxed pose and held Faolan close. Finn sighed and scooted a little closer to Roman.

“That….doesn’t sound like a very good way for your husband to treat you, Roman.”

Roman sighed and rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. 

“I know, but...it just is how it is, Finn. It’s not something I have much of a choice on right now. I’ll be fine, I just-gotta get through it, like always.”

Finn and Seth glanced at each other, Roman raising an eyebrow at the look. 

“What?”

Finn cleared his throat, shifting a bit. 

“Well...Seth and I had been thinking….if you were so interested, Seth could see you through it, through your heat.”

Roman’s eyes went wide, surely comically so, and he stared at Finn in disbelief. 

“I-what.”

Seth cleared his throat.

“I mean...of course I’m dedicated to my omega, Finn is my husband, but-I suspected from the start that your husband didn’t have the best attitude towards your heats, and Roman...you’re a beautiful, amazing omega, you definitely deserve an alpha to see you through that. Or a beta, or omega. You really do-I mean, God, look at you-so Finn and I agreed that, you know. If you ever needed, either of us-depending on your tastes, you know, would be free. Finn can’t right now, cause he’s still not allowed to have anything even remotely resembling sex, but...the offer is there.”

Roman’s face was burning hot, and he squeezed his thighs together at the thought of Seth seeing him through his heat. Seth’s gorgeous, toned, muscular body against his own, the soft body hair Roman knew he had rubbing against his heat-sensitive skin, Seth’s cock-which had clearly done lots of good for Finn-inside of him, knotting him...Roman bit his lip and moaned, unable to not get a little turned on at the idea. 

“I-I don’t know-I think-I’d-I’d have to think about it, but-and it is tempting, because-wow, both of you are….wow, but-I don’t know if I could-I like to spend my heats with….you know...someone I...have feelings for, and again-I think I like the fantasy more than I’d be able to deal with the actual reality.”

Finn held one of Roman’s hands between his own, softly rubbing his thumb over the palm. 

“That’s alright, we’re absolutely not making this some kind of a necessity. We just want you to be happy, Ro.”

Roman bumped his forehead against Finn’s again, purring until he felt a response from the other omega. It really was nice to have good friends.

\---

As he laid breathless on his big fancy bed, alone, the sheets soaked with sweat and slick, two knotting toys on the bed with him, a part of Roman wished he’d taken Seth and Finn up on their offer. He’d been riding the knots on those toys for the past day, and by this point he was concerned he’d have to replace the entire damn mattress with how wet he’d gotten it. Orgasm after orgasm after orgasm, and he still didn’t quite feel satisfied, a still-empty feeling in his gut, in his core. He’d only spent a few of his heats with other people, but he craved it now, the idea of an alpha taking him and filling him with come day in and day out until his heat was satisfied. 

Roman whined, feeling another pulse of arousal through his body. It didn’t help that he could smell Dean’s scent stuck randomly around the house; his brain latched onto the knowledge that there was a virile, clearly compatible alpha so close, but so far out of reach. 

Roman desperately wanted to leave his door open, to leave his bedroom door wide open along with his windows for Dean to smell and see, inviting him in to do as he pleased with Roman’s heat-wracked body. That particular fantasy was unbearably hot. He’d even thought of dragging himself out to Dean’s little home and knocking on the door and waiting for Dean to pull him inside. He could only imagine what Dean’d do to him then, or at all. Would he be gentle, making love to Roman sweetly and softly and letting his knot swell slowly until Roman was desperate and needy? Or would he be rough and just a touch mean, calling Roman names and pinning him down and taking him from the back, forcing his knot into Roman’s soaked cunt over and over?

Roman grabbed one of the toys and shoved it into himself, thrusting it back and forth and pushing the knot in a bit too quickly, crying out as it filled him. 

It just wasn’t the same as a flesh-and-blood knot, but it’d have to do. As much as he fantasized about Dean or anyone else, he knew nothing would happen. He couldn’t do it, he couldn’t bring himself to be that bold. Roman fucked himself harder with the toy, rubbing his clit for extra stimulation, rubbing harder until he felt his eyes roll back, hips arching up as he gushed around the knot. 

He tried not to think about how the only thing in his mind’s eye as he came was stormy blue eyes and reddish-blond hair and strong, rough hands. 

\---

Roman ran to the car and jumped into his father’s arms, the older man still capable of catching him. He spun Roman around and Roman laughed, pressing his forehead to his father’s and breathing in, then out. 

“Hi, Dad.”

“Hello, Roman.”

Sika set him down, only for Roman to be tackled by three solid bodies. He grinned and wrestled on the ground with his siblings for a moment, easily pinning the three young alphas down. 

“Still got all y’all!”

He stood and helped his three younger siblings up, all of them properly hugging him, scenting him and covering him in the scent of his family. It immediately calmed Roman, settled his heat-frazzled nerves. Vince was off on yet another trip, wining and dining some important clients overseas, but Roman couldn’t bring himself to be too upset. Sika and Vince never got along much, and Roman wanted to enjoy the week with his family. 

“Roman-”

Roman looked up at Dean’s voice and smiled, until he saw Dean’s eyes go wide and his back straighten. 

“Uh-I mean-Mr. Reigns, uh-nevermind, actually, it can wait-”

Roman broke away from the family cuddle pile they’d formed, walking over to Dean and gently grabbing his hand, pulling him towards his family. He kept his voice low for a moment.

“I want you to meet them, Dean, they’re gonna love you.”

Dean let himself be led, and Roman kept his hand around Dean’s for a moment. 

“Dad, guys, this is Dean Ambrose. He’s my friend, and he’s working as our ranch hand.”

Roman didn’t even really think about the fact that he initially introduced the alpha as his friend, not his employee. Roman definitely thought of Dean as one more than the other by this point, and he grinned as Dean held his hand out for Sika to shake. Sika looked Dean up and down, staring into his eyes for a moment before clasping his hand between his. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Dean. Roman has talked about you quite a bit.”

Roman blushed and brought a hand up to push his hair behind his ears. That...was true, Roman had talked-gushed, really, about Dean to his father, but he hadn’t expected Sika to mention it. 

“This is Nia, Jimmy, and Jey, my younger sister and brothers.”

Dean shook each of their hands and greeted them, and Roman found himself standing comfortably close next to Dean as they all unpacked their bags from the car. Dean even stepped in to help, which made Roman feel a pleasant warmth in his stomach. His siblings set immediately to exploring the house and picking which guest room they were staying in, while Sika sat in the living room, taking over the comfortable armchair, just like Roman had anticipated. 

“Dad, do you want something to drink?”

“Tea, please.”

Roman and Dean headed off to the kitchen, and Dean stopped Roman for a moment when they were out of sight. 

“Uh-should I just-hang out in my place while they’re here? I don’t wanna intrude-”

Roman laughed and rubbed his hands over Dean’s thick biceps. 

“Hey, you don’t have to worry, Dean. I want you to hang out with us. You’re my friend, you wouldn’t be intruding at all.”

They were silent for a second and Roman removed his hands, realizing he’d been touching Dean for longer than was probably appropriate.

“I-I really do want you to, but-if you’re not-you don’t have to, you know, I just-”

Dean reached out and trailed his fingers over the back of Roman’s hands, linking their fingers just briefly.

“I-I want to. Yeah. Just-not used to being wanted around so much.”

Roman blushed-he blushed so much since meeting Dean, and they went into the kitchen to get drinks, Nia coming back downstairs and helping. Dean easily fell into conversation with her, and with Jimmy and Jey when they came down. Roman, Dean, and Nia all sat on the couch while the twins started a video game, Roman sitting closer to Dean than he probably needed to.

“So, Dean, what experience do you have working with animals?”

Roman knew his father was going to question Dean, his father had a habit of doing that with anyone that came near Roman, and he didn’t think it unfair; Roman was his only omega child, and it made sense for him to be a little protective. 

“Well, when I was younger, I worked on farms and ranches during the summers-was the state’s way of keepin’ me out of trouble-”

Roman glanced at Sika to make sure that didn’t set off any alarms. Roman had found out about Dean’s childhood in bits and pieces and he knew he’d been in foster care for almost all of it, and that he’d had some troubles with the law during that time, but Roman never thought anything of it. Sika, thankfully, didn’t seem to either. 

“-and when I was seventeen and got out, I ended up working with a rodeo, and I was there for about eight years, ‘til uh-just ended up leaving.”

Roman tilted his head. Dean had been almost entirely quiet about his time in that rodeo, and Roman hadn’t ever pried; it wasn’t his place, and he assumed if Dean wanted him to know, Dean would tell him. 

“Hm. And you’ve been here for-”

“Been workin’ with Roman for about two months now.”

Sika seemed to approve, and they moved onto other topics, like how long the family would be staying, until Dean’s phone started ringing.

“Excuse me, I gotta take this.”

Dean left the house and Sika immediately shot Roman a Look. 

“What?”

“Oh, come on, Rome. You couldn’t be more obviously into him.”

Roman gaped at Nia, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment. He had at least hoped that he’d been hiding it well. Roman looked to his father, jaw still dropped from his sister’s statement. 

“He seems like a good man, son. I approve.”

“Dad! I’m-”

Roman closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 

“I’m married. Even if-if I thought that there was something deeper than friendship between Dean and I-a friendship I’m very, very happy to have-I couldn’t do anything. I’m married to Vince, and-I should be loyal.”

The words tasted sour and sick in his mouth. He knew his husband hadn’t been loyal to him for the past three years, though he had never stepped outside of their marriage, not once. He tried to be a good wife, he wanted to be a good wife, and he knew, deep in him, he knew that it was unfair to himself to stay with Vince through his infidelity.

Sika sighed again, and Roman shook his head.

“Just-don’t say anything about that to Dean, please? He is my friend and I want him to keep being my friend. If that’s all that I ever have with him, I’m happy.”

His siblings shared a glance between the three of them, the twins having gone silent during the talk, and Sika nodded. 

“Of course, Roman. Not a word, from any of us.”

“Thank you.”

Roman looked up and smiled as Dean came back into the room, shyly smiling. 

“Sorry about that, had to confirm a doctor’s appointment this week.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Hm? Yeah, yeah, just a check-up and all that. Nothing to worry about.”

Roman caught Dean rubbing his hip and thigh again as he sat back down next to him, but put it in the back of his mind, laughing as Nia absolutely destroyed the twins in the video game.

\---

“-and then this damn goat goes runnin’ through the pig pen-which means now we’ve gotta catch the pigs, too, all cause this one goddamn goat-”

Roman was almost in tears at Dean’s story, the twins were already on the floor laughing, and Roman only felt brighter and happier at the sound of Sika and Nia’s deep laughs. They were all eating, after Roman and his siblings had cooked a massive dinner-Dean and Sika had taken a walk, and both come back with odd looks about them. Roman had worried until Dean stepped close to him and had quietly said “I really like your family” with a gentle smile on his face. It had been so long since he’d had a proper family meal, with his siblings and father, and he couldn’t wait for his mother to arrive within the week so that they could all be together.

Dean included.

He fit right in with Roman’s family, his eccentric and wild side coming out whenever he hung out with the twins, he and Nia bonding over sports and fashion. 

Dean Ambrose didn’t come off as a fashionista at first, but Roman was happy to learn it about him.

Roman sat at one end of the table, Dean at his left side, and he felt...calm. Warm and calm and fulfilled in a way he hadn’t felt in years, having this dinner with his family. It almost made him sad, to know that they would leave and that Vince would come back. The thought that Dean’s presence would be solid in his life did help, though he tried not to think about how deeply he felt for Dean after such a short amount of time. He knew it was silly, he knew it was far too soon, but he couldn’t help himself. 

Dean was the ideal alpha. Strong, smart, good with kids, sweet and kind and a wonderful person, stunningly handsome, too. Roman was wistful at the thought that this strange illusion of a happy life with an alpha who cared about him was all he’d ever have, but he supposed as long as he kept his head about himself, it wouldn’t be too bad to hold onto that illusion.

\---

- _ earlier that day _ -

Dean found Sika out in the stables, quietly talking to the horses. The older alpha smiled at him as he approached, Dean desperately trying to keep the limp out of his step.

“Hello, Dean.”

“Afternoon. Just came out to feed and water these guys.”

Sika watched him as he completed the chores, and Dean didn’t really mind, other than when he stumbled, the stress of masking his limp becoming a bit much. He grit his teeth, though, and worked through the pain shooting through his hip and thigh. 

“What’s that from?”

Dean blushed, keeping his gaze directed at his task. 

“Rather not talk about it. Don’t worry, ‘s not a prison injury or anything.”

Sika quietly chuckled and Dean finished up, rinsing his hands off in a bucket of water. He sat down on a small stool, looking up at the older alpha.

“It’s been nice meetin’ you all.”

“It’s been nice to see an alpha treating Roman well.”

Dean ducked his head down, looking at the floor. 

“Have to think so, yeah.”   
“You’ve met Vince?”

Dean sighed. He had, many times now, but not as many as he felt would’ve been right. The man really didn’t spend enough time at home. Enough time with his wife. His...beautiful, amazing, wonderful wife, who deserved an alpha to mate him properly. Dean couldn’t imagine being married for four years and not being mated, but everything he’d known about Vince made it clear that he was just that kind of person. He was brash and rude and far too conservative for Dean’s taste, and Dean was sure Vince didn’t care about Roman. He’d spent at least half his nights here wondering how the hell those two ended up together anyway. 

Vince was almost a full twenty years Roman’s senior, too. He had kids who were only a few years younger than Roman, and...God, the man was just hard to be around. The idea that Roman had spent five years of his life-five out of his twenty-five, he was only two years younger than Dean-seemed so wrong. Roman was such an amazing man, a beautiful, fertile omega who was being robbed of having a full, happy marriage, but he was loyal. Dean admired that, even as he spent a good two-thirds of Roman’s heat sniffing at his bedroom door, touching himself to the sounds and smells. He knew that was wrong, in his head, but God, the siren song of a fertile omega in heat had sent him into a rut. He’d even snuck one of Roman’s shirts out to his house, sniffing it and wrapping it around his cock to try and get Roman’s smell on him.

“Yeah. I’ve met Vince. Interesting guy.”

“That’s one word for him.”

Dean raised an eyebrow at Sika. Now  _ that _ was interesting.

“Take it you’re not a fan?”

“Not really. Don’t take this as a suggestion of any kind, but...my son deserves better.”

Dean tilted his head, and Sika held his hand out, helping him to stand.

“Let’s go for a walk, yeah? You can tell me more about yourself.”

Dean grinned. He had a feeling he’d get along with Sika.

\---


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> family visits, conversations, musings on love.

 

Roman sipped at his soda, watching as his mom somehow delicately ate a cheesesteak. He wished he was as classy as his mom. His siblings and Sika had left a few days ago, but his mom wanted to stay a while, helping Roman with homemaking and just to spend time with her son. She wiped at her mouth with a napkin.

“So. You and Dean.”

Roman’s face flushed with heat and he focused on sucking out the last of his soda before answering. 

“This why we came all the way out here?”

“No, we came all the way here so that you could get some of those nice bath things you like, and because I needed a new wok. But...since we are out of the house, it’s a good time to talk about that.”

“Momma, there’s nothing there, I already told y’all. I-I mean…”

Roman sighed. 

“There is something there, at least on my side. I know I like Dean….in a way that’s not friendship. I mean...he’s...of course I feel something, but-”

Roman shook his head, poking the straw at the ice in his drink. He had thought a lot about Dean recently, between his heat a few weeks ago and seeing Dean with his family; the alpha had been nothing but lovely with all of his siblings and with his parents. When Roman’s mother had arrived, Dean had made sure to carry her bags for her, called her ‘ma’am’ until she insisted he just call her Pen, like everyone else did. 

Dean had blushed, an adorable pink tink to his cheeks and the tip of his nose. Roman had had to hide his reaction, embarrassingly smitten with the alpha then.

Pen exhaled through her nose and gave her son a very particular sort of look.

“You know how I feel about marriage, Roman.”

Roman did know. He’d been very well aware of both of his parents’ thought on marriage and specifically, his marriage; neither of them really approved of his husband, but both believed very firmly in the institution of marriage, and that marriage should function in a specific way. Roman didn’t even really feel differently, he just...hadn’t been lucky, with it. 

“But I don’t really believe that what you have...is a marriage.”

Roman looked at his mother, his head tilted and brows furrowed. 

“Momma...it doesn’t matter. He-Vince has given me a lot. What could I even do? Even if-if something were to happen between me and Dean, we’d have to hide it, and-I don’t want to hide it. I don’t want to be that wife who sneaks around on his husband with the damn ranch hand.”

“Well...maybe you’d have to hide it, yes, but you could use that time to figure out how to get out of your situation with Vince.”

Roman crossed his arms over his chest and huffed, and he knew he probably looked very childish to his mother. He couldn’t bring himself to care. He heard his mother sigh and looked back up at her. 

“Just think about it, honey. You need to do what’s going to make you happy, and from everything I’ve seen, Dean makes you happy. Happier than I’ve seen you in years.”

That was true. The alpha had brought back out the person that Roman had been before his marriage had deteriorated. Roman felt happy and energized and alive, all because of Dean. He knew that meant something and he knew that was significant, and maybe...maybe there would be a way for them to be together. 

Roman just didn’t know how to go on from there.

\---

Dean looked up at the sound of a car pulling into the drive. It was Seth Rollins-Balor, Roman’s friend and neighbor. They’d not properly met yet, with Seth being busy with his newborn and his older children, and Dean and Roman beginning to give riding lessons. Dean had enjoyed that greatly; he and Roman working together every day of the week, teaching and helping others learn to ride, usually ending the day by riding two of the horses around the property together before going inside for dinner. 

Dean walked up to Seth, masking his limp as much as possible in front of the other alpha. He knew that was silly, to always do that around alphas, but it was hard to rid himself of the instinct to appear strong and uninjured in front of alphas. 

“Howdy.”

“Hi. You must be Dean Ambrose, Roman talks about you all the time.”

Dean shook the hand that Seth held out, blushing a bit at the comment. He didn’t think Roman had told his friends about him, though it did make him feel a bit warm to know. 

“And you’re Mister Rollins-Balor. How’s the wife and kids?”

Seth smiled, ducking his head down. 

“They’re doing good. Finn’s recovering pretty well. The kids, also, man, they love you, dude. They’re having a lot of fun on their riding lessons.” 

Dean smiled. He had adored Seth’s two oldest children since he first met them when Roman was babysitting. And honestly, watching the kids with Roman had only set off more instincts in Dean. The need to have his own children and to have them with Roman, seeing what an amazing mother Roman would be. 

“I’ve had fun hanging out with Conall and Einin, too. They’re good kids, can’t wait to meet the littlest one.”

Seth smiled and they stood in silence for a few moments, Seth’s face growing more somber. 

“Dean, can I ask you a favor?”

Dean frowned, but nodded. Seth looked to the main house for a long minute. 

“I know Roman...he can take care of himself, you know? He’s a strong guy, he’s smart.”

“.....But?”

Seth sighed.

“But...he’s...got some ideas in his head, about what he can and can’t do, and-I worry sometimes-I worry he’s gonna end up...making himself unhappy in a way he can’t come back from. So-I mean. You mean a lot to him, Dean. He cares about you, and everything he’s told me makes me think you care about him, too.”

Dean nodded. He did care about Roman, more than he knew he should. He knew he should have just kept it professional, kept the relationship nothing but business, but he couldn’t. Not with Roman. 

“I just-could you...I don’t know, keep an eye on him? Just-like to make sure he’s okay. He gets caught up in his own head a lot and doesn’t always-sometimes he doesn’t think too much about certain things and I’m worried he’s gonna end up hurt-so just...keep an eye out.”

“I will. I promise.”

Seth nodded at him before heading to the main house. Dean stood there, thinking about what Seth had said, and what he’d meant, before heading back to his little home. He was done with his chores for the moment, and he wanted to warm up a bit. The chill of October had fully set in, and his leg ached terribly. He needed to take a break, and he cooked up a small pot of soup for lunch, thinking more about Roman while he did.

He wouldn’t go so far as to say he was in love with Roman, but maybe he was? They’d been working together every single day, talking and learning about one another and bonding for three months now, and that seemed like enough time to fall in love. Roman was everything Dean could be looking for in a partner, and evidently, his family was very approving of Dean. That had come as a surprise. Dean hadn’t had many romantic partners in the past, but very few of their families had ever been very into him. 

Which he could understand. Dean never did think of himself as having a whole lot going for him.

But Roman’s siblings and parents had been very caring towards him and had accepted him immediately, and his talks with Sika had been enlightening. The older alpha never said anything outright about Roman and Vince, but it was hard not to get that he didn’t approve and that neither of Roman’s parents actually believed that marriage to be real.

But it was. It was legally binding unless Roman got a divorce, and Dean doubted that Vince would let him go so easily. The man may not love Roman, but he sure was possessive of him, and Dean couldn’t help but hate knowing that they still had sex. He’d hear or smell it at nights when Vince was home, and he’d have to see the mornings after where Roman would be quiet and would flinch whenever Dean brushed against him. The man almost certainly wasn’t faithful to Roman, either, and Dean would never understand that.

How could anyone be married to Roman and not be entirely and wholly devoted to him? Dean had dreamed of Roman being his wife, of taking care of him, loving him, mating him properly like husbands should do. Dean turned on the tv in his room and sat on his bed as he ate. He didn’t like not sharing meals with Roman at this point, though Vince had been home much more often lately and Roman and Dean had agreed that they wouldn’t eat together when Vince was home. 

Not that Dean really wanted to eat with the other alpha, anyway, but he felt bad that Roman had to.

He huffed and ate his lunch, wishing that Roman was with him. Love may be the right word after all, for what he was feeling. He wished he could do something about it. 

\---

They didn’t know quite what happened, but they both knew they needed to calm the horse down. It was only a few seconds before Dean heard the rattle and a hiss, and he immediately felt a sense of unease wash over him. 

“Roman! Grab the ax! There’s a snake in the stall!”

He ripped the door of the stall open and the horse bolted, knocking Dean to the side, and Dean gasped as his leg slightly twisted before he fell. He gritted his teeth against the intense pain shooting up and down his leg, starting in his thigh and down to his feet, and two sharp, hot spots of pain at his shoulders as he caught himself on his hands. Dean looked up and saw Roman bring the ax down, one definitive strike, before Roman put the ax back. He caught his breath before turning, his eyes going wide at the sight of Dean on the floor. 

“Dean!”

Roman slid gracefully to his knees in front of Dean and helped him sit up. Dean’s hands were shaking uncontrollably, the nerves in his shoulders shocking all the way to his fingertips, and Roman carefully took Dean’s hands in his. 

“Dean, what’s-”   
“You gotta go get him, just-get him back here and-I’ll be fine-”

Roman hesitated to leave until Dean urged him on. Roman grabbed a halter and ran out of the stable, Dean sitting there, his back against one of the other stall doors. He took a few deep breaths, trying to do what his doctors always told him to do when something happened that set off his old injuries. He took stock of his body, where the pain was the worst, where it was concentrated. He felt a huff against his hair, and he looked up, ignoring the sharpness in his neck.

“Hey, boy.”

He would’ve reached up to pet Coal, their gelding, on the side of his dark grey face, but he couldn’t bring himself to move his arms. It would be a few minutes more before he could do that without it hurting. Coal huffed against his hair again and Dean closed his eyes and smiled. Coal was good at calming everything down.

He opened his eyes when he heard Roman coming back in, leading Midnight-the horse who’d bolted-back to his stall. Roman made sure to clean out the dead snake, too, quickly burying it before coming back to kneel in front of Dean.

“What happened?”

“Midnight knocked me down when he bolted. I’ll be fi-fuck!”

Dean tried to lift himself up and was unable to, pain shooting through his arms and his leg. Roman caught him, and Dean had to grit his teeth again. Not so much at the pain, but at the embarrassment that heated his face. 

“Let me help you-please, Dean?”

Roman’s face was lit by the dim lamps in the stables, the soft orange glow warming the tone of his skin. He looked like an angel, there in the relative dark. Dean swallowed, nodding just a bit. It was nigh-impossible for him to admit that he needed help, especially regarding this, but he trusted Roman. He loved Roman, and he knew a big part of love was letting someone help you. Roman wrapped his thick arms around Dean’s waist, gentle and calm and warm against Dean’s body.

“You ready?”

“Yeah.”

Roman let out a quite grunt as he lifted Dean to his feet, keeping one arm around his waist, the other holding onto one of Dean’s wrist as he helped him walk. It wasn’t easy, Dean needed to stop every few feet to catch his breath. Roman led them to Dean’s house, basically carrying him up the stairs to the front door with one arm. Dean tried not to let himself get too distracted by Roman’s strength or the feeling of the omega against him. Roman helped him to the bedroom, gently setting him down and helping him lift his leg onto it. 

“What-what do you need?”   
“N-nothin’-ain’t anything to do-”

“You don’t have any painkillers or-or anything?”

Dean shook his head. He refused to take painkillers, he always had. He didn’t want to risk it. Roman whined, a light sound coming deep from his throat. Dean turned away from him, not wanting to see the omega so distressed over him. 

“I-I’ll be fine, Rome-”

Roman whined again, and surprised Dean by leaning in close and scenting him. It was risky to do so, even though Vince was out again for a few weeks. He sat there, stock-still and Roman scented him more, rubbing his stubbled cheeks and sharp jaw against Dean’s chest and neck and face. Dean shut his eyes and inhaled, Roman’s scent calming him as he breathed it in. Roman smelled….so full, and sweet, almost like caramel. It was heady and heavy this close, and Dean took in deep lungfuls of it, finally reciprocating and scenting Roman back, rubbing his beard against Roman, catching that full scent in the hair on his face. 

Roman pulled away to rest his forehead against Dean’s, quietly purring. Dean felt a responding rumble in his own chest, and he opened his eyes. Roman was even more beautiful this close up, and Roman opened his eyes as well, his voice quiet and deep.

“What happened? What-this couldn’t have just been from Midnight knockin’ you down.”

Dean swallowed, reaching a hand up before having to set it back down, the pain shooting again and making his hands shake. He sat back against the headboard of his bed, bringing his shaking hands to rest on his lap. Roman sat with him, still quietly purring. Dean licked his lips, readying himself to tell this story. 

“I-when I was in the rodeo-I was a pretty well-known rider, did bulls and horses and all that, and-I did it for years and never had a problem, but-one night-bull I was ridin’ reared back and I fell, and-I’d fallen plenty of times before, but, this one night-I landed on my neck and shoulders-doctors said I have some kind of nerve damage from it, and-”

Dean swallowed again, flexing his hands, trying to get them to stop shaking. 

“-uh-it’s the permanent kind. In my neck and shoulders, it’s why my hands shake an’ I get headaches too-and when the bull-he stomped my hip, too, kinda...crushed it, really.”

Roman gasped and Dean winced. 

“It-it took a few years-it didn’t even really heal up until last year-and I can’t take falls like that, so when Midnight knocked me down, I caught myself on my hands an’ my leg-kinda twisted, it-just kind of a perfect mess, you know-”

Roman whined, long and high and loud, and Dean looked at his face. His beautiful, big, brown eyes were wet and wide, and Dean let out a whine of his own. 

“Hey, don’t-c’mon, don’t cry, it’s nothin’ horrible-the pain’s gonna pass, Rome, I’ll be okay-it just-it messed me up in the head a little bit too-an’ I guess-I’ll be okay, Rome, please don’t cry-”

Roman swallowed, and he held Dean’s hands in his again. He stroked his thumbs over Dean’s palms, and Dean almost winced, thinking the rough skin on his hands must feel grating to Roman.

“I just-I didn’t know it was-I’d noticed the limp, but I didn’t think...I didn’t know it was that bad, that it was that extensive-I’m sorry, Dean, I’ve-I’ve asked so much of you and you’ve never complained-”

“Hey, no you haven’t-you ain’t pushed me or anything, okay? I’m-I’m mostly okay if I just do my exercises and don’t run any marathons or shit-falls like this just...they hurt and they freak me out.”

“What can I do to help?”

The world froze for a moment and Dean considered his possible answers. The universe seemed to be presenting him with a few different opportunities, right at the moment, and as desperately as he wanted to go down certain paths, he knew it wasn’t right. Not yet.

“Can...can you stay with me for a while? Don’t-I don’t wanna be in pain alone again-”

Roman whined and immediately climbed onto the bed fully, pressing himself to Dean’s side, the side with the injured leg, nuzzling at Dean’s neck and holding Dean’s arm to his body. He felt so soft and warm, and Dean could feel himself relaxing already. He’d have to do some light exercises later, the ones his doctors taught him to relieve the pressure and pain in his neck and leg. The heat from Roman’s body helped, his scent seeping into Dean’s clothes and his skin and he hummed, eyes slipping shut. Pain always made him tired after a while, and he weakly brought one hand up, wrapping his fingers around Roman’s bicep. 

He’d been afraid of Roman seeing him in pain like this since he first fully realized his attraction to the omega. Dean had a deep, deep insecurity about his injuries, how they presented themselves; he felt like a weaker and less complete alpha because of them. The idea of Roman-beautiful, fertile, perfect Roman-seeing him in this state, even now, after Roman had shown nothing but care and compassion and acceptance, Dean still worried and felt as though Roman would like him less after this. The rational part of him knew that wasn’t true, but the worry remained.

They laid there together for a while, purring for each other, occasionally scenting one another. Dean was happy they were alone on the property, that they were able to do this uninterrupted. Dean felt much, much more comfortable than he had in years, the pain still present, but no longer overwhelming, same with the anxiety. He turned his head to see that Roman’s eyes were drooping, slipping closed as he rested against Dean.

“Hey, you can head back if you want-”

Roman blinked and shook his head, nuzzling Dean’s shoulder. 

“Don’ wanna go back. Wanna stay with you.”

Dean tightened his grip on Roman’s bicep and shifted closer, inhaling Roman’s sweet scent. It felt...so close to what he really wanted with Roman; intimacy and closeness, open and complete honesty.

“Rome?”

“Yeah?”

“I-Roman, I really-I know we ain’t known each other for long, but-you mean a lot to me. I really-I really care about you, and-thank you-thanks.”

Roman looked up at Dean, clearly seconds away from sleep, and smiled. 

“I care about you too, Dean. Love you.”

Dean didn’t register what Roman said until Roman’s eyes had slipped shut and he fell asleep, his breathing even and deep against Dean’s neck. Dean recognized that Roman could have meant that entirely platonically; there was no proof that Roman felt anything deeper than that for him, and Dean had to be okay with that, but hearing those words, said so easily and sweetly to him...it set off a fire in Dean’s core, warmth filling him and making him let out a particularly deep purr. 

No matter what Roman meant, Dean would have to think more about what to do about it later. For now, he just let himself smile, re-playing those words over and over in his head as he fell asleep.

\---

Roman put on a smile and smoothed out his shirt. He’d dressed a touch more classically omega than he usually would, while still keeping his outfit fairly conservative. He knew that was best, when it came to the twins. He walked out to the car with Vince, his arm looped through his husband’s. He spotted Dean heading from one stable to another, the veneer slipping as his cheeks flushed.

He did remember what he told Dean, and he didn’t regret it. He did love Dean. Whether it was friendly love or romantic love, Roman hadn’t quite figured out, but the feeling and depth were there no matter. Roman adored the alpha, more than just about anyone in the world, and he knew Dean had been a touch nervous and bashful around him ever since he’d said it. Which Roman found incredibly sweet, the big, strong alpha sweetly picking some of the winter flowers that grew on the property and handing them off to Roman when they worked together. He’d even once placed on in Roman’s hair, gently and shyly. 

Roman took a deep breath as he watched the two step out of the car. He had to put Dean out of his mind for now-unfortunately-to focus on what would be at least a somewhat hellish two weeks ahead of him. Vince hugged both of his children-Shane, a beta, and honestly, a fairly pleasant young man; he was focused mostly on college and getting his degree, but he was fun. He had a good sense of humor and was resilient, and Roman actually enjoyed being around him, and knew Shane harbored no ill will towards him, and was always happy and friendly to be around Roman. It was about the only time the closeness in age between the two-Shane’s twenty to Roman’s twenty-five-came in handy.

Of course, there was also Stephanie.

Vince’s only alpha child,  currently nineteen years of age and already very much like her father. Stephanie had never liked Roman, not from the first moment that they’d met, and Roman wasn’t exactly her biggest fan, either. She was rude and had never said a kind word towards Roman, was as ruthless as Vince and twice as catty. Roman could only do his best to be nicer to her than she was to him. He watched as Vince barked at the driver to grab the kids’ bags, Roman frowning. He’d tip the driver before he left, and generously. 

The kids were staying for Thanksgiving, the rest of the McMahon family coming throughout the week. Roman would be cooking non-stop, but he didn’t mind. Anything would be better than being stuck around the family for that long. 

Though he was excited, knowing that Linda would be there, and that his family would be flying out again for a few days for the holiday as well. That would be the biggest deterrent to wanting to drive into a lake, as Roman tended to desire whenever he spent a great deal of time around Vince’s family.

Roman happily greeted Shane, wrapping his arms around the young man. 

“Hey, Rome! How’s it been?”

Roman smiled and huffed out a laugh. 

“Well-it’s been, Shane. It’s been.”

Shane grinned, keeping an arm casually around Roman’s shoulders. It didn’t throw him off, Shane really was friendly. Roman heard his name being called out, and both of them turned to see Dean approaching them.

“Roman-uh-your student’s gonna be here soon, if you’re still giving the lesson today-”

“Holy shit. Are you Dean Ambrose?”

Roman and Dean both stared at Shane, whose eyes were wide and excited. Roman glanced at Dean, seeing him nod.

“Uh-yeah, yes, uh-how do you-”

“Dude! I saw you live ride once! When I was a kid, my grandpa took me to the rodeo and you were the star! You were amazing!”

Roman’s eyes went even wider, and he looked at Dean again. His pale cheeks were flushed a rather furious red and he looked as though he didn’t really know what to do with himself. Shane stepped closer and shook Dean’s hand, and the alpha was….very clearly confused and overwhelmed. It was a cute look on him, and Roman smiled a little.

“Wow, this is so cool! I can’t believe you’re working for my dad, that is so cool-”

“Who’s this, exactly?”

Roman’s smile dissolved at Stephanie’s voice, and Shane excitedly wrapped an arm around Dean’s shoulders.

“Stephanie, don’t you remember when Grandpa took us to the rodeo and the star broke a bull-riding record and like three horse riding records? This is that guy! Dean, this is my sister, Stephanie-”

Dean, ever the gentleman, held his hand out to Stephanie. She ignored it, but at least said hello. Roman tried not to feel particularly bitter towards her right now.

“Well, if we’re done meeting the help, I’d like to go inside and find my room.”   
“Of course, honey. Follow me. Shane!”

Shane frowned, and Roman watched, curious as Dean gripped Shane’s shoulder for a minute.

“Hey, kid-if you get a free moment, come by the stables later. We can go riding together.”

Shane’s eyes damn near filled with stars, and he nodded excitedly. 

“Really? Thank you, I totally will-I gotta go, but I’ll be back later!”

Shane grabbed one of his bags, Roman taking the moment to slip the driver some money, and they headed to the house behind Stephanie and Vince. Roman stayed behind, standing next to Dean.

“That was really nice of you.”

“He seems like an alright kid.”

“He is. Is that weird?”

“What?”

Roman turned to Dean, shoving his hands in the pockets of his slacks and grinning.

“Meeting a fan.”

Dean blushed again and ducked his head down, trying to hide the huge smile on his face.

“...yeah, a little. It-yeah. But-I mean-it’s kinda nice.”

Roman licked his lips, and they stood in that comfortable, full silence for a moment. 

“Let me go change, and I’ll come out, help get the horses ready.”

Dean nodded, heading back to the stables, his limp evident in his stride. Ever since he’d told Roman about what happened, he’d been more secure in letting himself feel what he needed to in front of Roman. He’d limp and let his hands shake, instead of forcing it away. It made Roman happy; not that Dean had been hurt, but that he wasn’t hiding anything about himself anymore.

Roman headed back to the house, surprisingly relaxed. Maybe this holiday wouldn’t be too bad, with Dean in the mix. 

\---

Roman clenched his jaw and smiled, that facade back in full as he poured another glass of wine for Vince’s brother. Most of the family was staying in a hotel in town-the nicest one, none of them willing to have anything less than luxury-and were just coming to the ranch every day seemingly solely to annoy Roman. 

He knew Vince’s brother was watching him closely, as he always did. Thomas was a few years older than Vince, an alpha, and he made Roman deeply uncomfortable. He’d never told Vince-or anyone, really, about the handful of times Thomas had cornered him, groped him, made comments about his body. Roman generally felt good about his looks, but every time that happened, he just felt disgusting. 

“Thanks, Roman.”

There was a subtle hand grabbing the back of his thigh, and Roman smiled through it. It was better to keep it to himself. 

“I have to-if you’ll excuse me, I have to go check on dinner.”

Roman tried not to rush out of there, taking a deep breath once he was in the kitchen, and alone. This week had been incredibly stressful, and he jumped at the sound of a knock on the back door. The sight of unruly red hair did calm him, and he smiled. He went to the door and stepped outside, standing with Dean on the massive back porch.

“Hey.”

“Hey. Uh-any chance you can sneak away for a bit tonight?”

Roman tilted his head.

“Uh...after dinner, yeah. Why?”

Dean grinned, his sharp canines on display.

“Got something I wanna show you.”

Roman bit his lip and nodded, reaching out and squeezing Dean’s hand before a timer went off inside. Dean wandered back off to his house, Roman watching as he left. He squeezed his thighs together, reaching one hand down to press at himself. It was almost unbearable, how turned on he got around Dean. It was like being on the edge of heat all the time, and he stepped back inside, finishing up dinner for himself and Vince and the various other McMahons currently in the household. Shane popped his head in the kitchen and waved. 

“Hey, do you need any help?”

Roman sighed in relief. 

“Uh-yeah, actually, could you set the table? I just have to finish up a few things.”   
“No problem.”

Roman loved cooking. He really did. It was a shame that it would go mostly unappreciated by the McMahons, and Roman was excited for his family to come so that he could have some more kindness in his life.

Dinner went as smoothly as it could, Roman seated next to Vince with Shane on his other side. Thomas was across from him, Stephanie next to him. Roman felt nauseous when Thomas’ foot pressed against his calf, and he shifted uncomfortably. Dinner, though smooth, did drag on a bit, especially since the older two alphas were drinking. 

That did, blessedly, mean that they both fell asleep fairly early into the evening. Stephanie and Shane both went off to the rooms they were staying in, and Roman pulled on his boots and a heavy coat, the chill of November sharp and bright in the air. He quietly left the house, walking to where Dean was waiting by the stables. He had two of the horses out and saddled-Coal, the gelding that Roman had very thoroughly claimed as his own, and Cherokee, the palomino mare that thus far, only Dean had been able to handle. He stroked his palm over Coal’s face, the horse quietly huffing. 

“Where are we going?”

“Just follow me.”

Dean rode Cherokee and Roman rode Coal, quietly talking in the dark. They were heading along a trail out to the farthest parts of the fields, the sky clear and full of stars above them. Dean finally stopped them near a small grove of trees, Dean hopping down carefully first before helping Roman down. He didn’t need the help, but he was happy to have his hand in Dean’s for even a brief while. Dean pulled his backpack off of his shoulders and opened it, pulling out a thick blanket and spreading it on the grass, and Roman saw that there was a pit dug into the ground, surrounded by rocks and filled with firewood. Dean started a small fire in it, pulling out two thermoses and a small lunchbox from his backpack. He sat on the blanket and Roman sat next to him, smiling and shaking his head when Dean pulled out the ingredients for s’mores.

“Really?”

“Yeah, man, nothin’ better than this. Got hot chocolate, too.”

Roman snuggled up in his coat, sitting closer to Dean as he was handed a cup. 

“So...you wanted to show me a campfire?”

Dean rolled his eyes and nudged Roman’s shoulder.

“No, don’t be a smartass. I-it should be startin’ any moment now.”

Dean checked his watch, and they both made s’mores and talked until Dean inhaled, grabbing Roman’s wrist.

“Look up.”

Roman swallowed what was in his mouth and tilted his head up, quietly gasping. There was a meteor shower, bright streaks of light shooting through the sky, clear as could be. Roman’s lips parted, easily linking his fingers with Dean’s. They watched the meteors fall, and Dean squeezed his hand.

“It’s beautiful, Dean.”

“You-yeah, it is.”

Roman looked away from the sky, to see that Dean wasn’t looking up. He was looking at Roman his eyes trained on Roman’s face, and Roman inhaled softly, licking his lips, and Dean’s eyes followed the motion. 

“Dean...thank you, for-for sharing this with me. I-it-”

Roman laughed at himself, ducking his head down.

“It actually reminds me of when I was little. My grandparents would always have us come sit outside during meteor showers, and...it always made me feel...small. But in a good way.”

“Kinda like...you know you’re just a small part of the universe, but like it’s nice to know?”

“Yeah! And-cause it always made me want to be a good part of the universe. Like maybe I could be big and important to someone.”

Dean squeezed his hand again, and Roman blinked his big eyes at Dean, watching as his cheeks flushed a bit in the warm light of the fire. 

“You are. You-Roman, I didn’t say it back that night-but-I do-I love you.”

Roman felt the sting of tears in his eyes, and Dean reached up with a shaky hand, wiping them away as they fell. Roman tilted his head into Dean’s palm, both of them dangerously close to each other. 

“I love you, too, Dean. I...I just-”

“I know.”

Roman leaned in, pressing his forehead to Dean’s. It was the closest he could get, they both knew it, and he almost felt a pain in his stomach at the thought. They were so close.

“Dean, I-if this is all we can have, is that-is that enough for you?”

Dean nodded, his hand still cupping the side of Roman’s face. 

“Yeah. It-fuck, I’m always gonna want more, I am, but-wantin’ and havin’ don’t always work out like that. But-if-is there ‘more’, on your side?”

Roman forced himself to look Dean in the eye, and he nodded.

“There’s-it’s everything. It’s all of it, Dean.”

Dean shut his eyes tight, and Roman could practically taste the slight salt of his tears. 

“Fuck, Roman. What’re we gonna do?”

“What can we do? I can’t-I don’t wanna sneak around-”

“I know you don’t, I wouldn’t ever make you-God, the fact that you don’t wanna just-it only makes me love you more, you’re so fuckin’ good.”

Roman whined, the tips of their noses bumping against each other. 

“I can’t-I don’t know what to do, Dean. I don’t. I can’t just-I don’t know what’ll happen if I leave Vince, I-I don’t know what’ll happen to me or you and I want to, so bad, please-you have to believe that I want to leave him and-I want this, I want what I feel with you.”

“I know you do, Rome. I just...if you’re not-”

“Maybe...maybe we could…”

“Roman, you an’ me both know damn well that if we start, there’s no stoppin’.”

“I know, but-”

Roman licked his lips. He reached up with his free hand, cupping Dean’s face and looking him in the eye, looking into his dark, stormy blue eyes. 

“-after the holiday, once everyone’s gone...I want-I want more. I want us, I just-I think we both need time to think and really consider-if this is the right thing to do.”

“What the fuck am I gonna do if this ain’t right? How can this-”

Dean let out a ragged, wet breath and it hurt Roman to hear it.

“How can this not be right, Roman? This is the only damn thing I’ve ever felt-I feel so sure about this, us, I-how can that be wrong?”

Roman unlinked their hands and cupped Dean’s face fully, stroking his thumbs over his wide cheeks and the stubble on his jaw.

“I don’t think it’s wrong, Dean, but-we have to-we have to be careful if-if we are gonna do this, we have to be careful. I don’t wanna sneak around but….maybe-maybe we can figure out how I can leave Vince, together?”

“Do you-do you really mean that?”

Roman nodded.

“You’d be-you’d wanna leave him, leave all this, for me?”

“Without a second thought. Nothing with you is better than everything with him.”

They were quiet for a bit, just pressing close together, before Dean took a deep breath.

“Can I kiss you?”

Roman smiled, and nodded, and Dean quickly pressed his lips to Roman’s. It was warm and soft, Dean’s lips tasted like the chocolate they’d eaten, sweetness and fullness and Roman did not want the kiss to stop. Not when Dean quietly moaned, when his tongue darted out to lick at Roman’s lips. It was...the best moment of Roman’s life, sitting here under the fading shooting stars, in front of a small fire, kissing the man he was in love with.

They pulled away from each other after a few minutes, Roman surging back in to kiss him once more. He really never wanted to stop, he wanted to ride right back to Dean’s house and spend the night in his bed, making love with him, but they both knew that was impossible. They broke apart again, joining their hands. 

“So…..this…this is real, now.”

“Yeah. It’s...yeah. We’re-we’re really doing this.”

“Rome, if-if you ever wanna stop-if this stops being worth it-tell me, please. I can’t be the person who holds you down like that.”

“I cannot see a future where that happens, but-just honesty between us, yeah?”

“Nothin’ but.”

Roman and Dean soon set about packing up and putting out the fire, mounting the horses once again, heading back to the stables with a feeling of warmth in their cores, a sense of peace about both of them.

Roman and Dean shared one more kiss in the stables, before he headed back into the main house, quietly making his way into the master bathroom. He needed to shower and get Dean’s scent off of him, as much as he didn’t want to. He didn’t have to be too silent-the McMahons were notoriously heavy sleepers, and he sighed as he stood under the hot spray. Roman closed his eyes and thought of Dean, the pressure of the kiss still lingering on his lips. Roman found his hands wandering over his body, his palms brushing over the curves of his breasts, his nipples hardening under them. Roman gasped, arching his back a little, squeezing his tits. He thought of Dean’s hands instead of his own, how the rough skin would feel against all the sensitive spots. He kept one hand at his chest, pinching and pulling at his nipples, the other hand smoothing down over his stomach, to his mound, cupping himself and massaging it. 

All that ran through his head was thoughts of Dean in the shower with him, Dean on his knees, his gorgeous pink lips working over Roman’s cunt, the heat from the shower only making everything more intense. He imagined Dean licking at him, his tongue torturing Roman’s clit while he shoved rough fingers into Roman. Roman bit his lip against a moan, pressing two fingers into himself, rocking his hips as he stroked them in an out, catching himself at just the right angle. His clit was caught against his palm, and he worked his fingers faster, biting into his arm to keep from making noise. He fucked himself down onto his hand harder, shifting to sit on his knees. Roman covered his mouth and shoved another finger into himself, his eyes shut tight as he thought of Dean again, thought of riding his cock in this shower, feeling that thick, hot flesh filling him up, feeling Dean knot him. Roman cried out against his hand as he came at the thought, the idea of Dean knotting him and filling him with his come. He wondered if Dean would get him pregnant. 

Roman moved onto his hands and knees, letting the water fall over him. His body felt relaxed, and he stayed on the floor of the shower as he washed himself, scrubbing his skin clean of Dean’s scent. He hated doing that, but he knew he had to. Roman washed his hair twice before finally standing and drying off. He pulled a big fluffy towel around himself, leaning against the sink and thinking.

He still felt weird about cheating on Vince. He knew he shouldn’t, if only because Vince hadn’t been faithful to him, so it’s not as though he was going to go breaking Vince’s heart. The alpha barely even had sex with him anymore-not that that was ever very satisfying-and he knew Vince didn’t love him. Maybe there was a part of Vince that cared for him, somewhere deep in his soul, but it damn sure wasn’t very noticeable. Dean, though….Dean loved Roman. Roman would never doubt that, and he’d never doubt his own feelings towards Dean.

He sighed, quickly braiding his hair while it was still wet, dressing in the nightgown he often wore to sleep, and climbing into bed, next to his husband, thinking about the man he loved.

\---

Roman and Dean worked around each other smoothly and easily, Roman’s siblings and parents helping just as easily. They worked as a cohesive unit, moving around the kitchen and getting everything ready. Roman had insisted that Dean join them all for Thanksgiving-Vince had actually been pleased with him lately, and hadn’t protested the request, thankfully, and Dean had happily jumped into the fray to cook with Roman. 

Roman turned, Dean right behind him, their chests brushing together. He blushed and smiled, Dean doing the same and gently placing a hand on Roman’s hip.

“Sorry.”

“It’s no problem.”

Roman continued with what he was doing and caught a look from his mother and father.

“What?”

“You two did it, didn’t you?”

Roman’s eyes widened and he grabbed his parents by the hands, leading them into the hallway. 

“Hush! We didn’t-nothing like that happened, we-just told each other some things a few days ago.”

“What did you tell each other?”

Roman swallowed, and thought about what to tell them for a moment. He glanced at both of his parents, biting his lip. 

“We...told each other that we wanted something to happen between us, and...that we love each other.”

“So you’re going to be with Dean?”

Roman swallowed again, rubbing at his forehead with his fingers. 

“I….hopefully, yeah. I want-we both want the same thing, and-we’re gonna think of a way for me to break up with Vince.”

His parents were silent for a few minutes, before his mother pulled him in for a hug. He buried his face against her neck, closing his eyes and letting his mother’s familiar scent calm him. 

“We support you, Roman. We know you’re doing what’s best for you.”

“Dean’s a good man. I know you still have reservations about this, but it’s the right choice.”

Roman pulled away from his mother and nodded, wiping at his eyes with his hands. 

“It’s...a lot. Uh-we aren’t doing anything about it yet, just-we know we want to.”

Pen reached up and patted Roman’s cheek, and Sika pulled him close, pressing their foreheads together and breathing. 

“We should get back to work.”

Roman nodded, wiping at his eyes again before heading back into the kitchen. He did-despite his love for Dean-still have reservations about this whole thing, though he knew in his heart, despite anything else, it was the right thing to do. It was just hard to get over the initial concentrated fact that he would be cheating on his husband. Thinking about that phrase made him feel odd and unpleasant, but then he remembered what Vince had put him through for the past few years, and he felt a lot less bad about it.

Dean helped them carry food to the table, and Roman took a second to just admire the alpha. He was wearing nice, new slacks-a gift from Roman’s mother, which’d made the alpha blush-and a nice dress shirt, his usual boots on and giving it the more blue-collar tinge that Dean was meant to have, and he’s even combed his hair to be neater and out of his face. Roman was one second away from sighing like a schoolboy in love.

Dinner was ready soon, and all of the family was called in to the extra-large table. Vince sat at the head, Roman next to him, and Stephanie on his other side. Roman couldn’t help but to glance down to Dean throughout dinner, where he was sat between Jimmy and Jey. Dean was so darling, and Roman felt unexpectedly happy, knowing that Dean was there with him, if not next to him. 

\---

“Hey.”

Roman looked over his shoulder at Dean. He’d begun washing dishes, loading most of them into the dishwasher and leaving a few to do by hand. He enjoyed the chore; it was soothing and easy and his body felt pleasantly worked afterwards. Dean came to stand next to him, rolling his sleeves up and beginning to dry off the dishes that had already been washed. They didn’t talk, really, other than a few short comments. They didn’t need to. It felt comfortable and domestic and….nice.

“I really liked-thank you, for inviting me.”

Roman smiled, scrubbing a plate clean. 

“Well...I wanted you there. You’re my friend, Dean, you deserved to have a proper Thanksgiving with us.”

Roman pressed his shoulder to Dean’s, and they stayed that way for a moment before Dean started putting dishes up. Roman felt so warm; Vince had never once done household chores with him, and Roman found that he was enjoying doing so with an alpha who cared about him. Before long, they were finished, and Roman smoothed his hands over his shirt, grinning at Dean.

“Can I walk you home?”

Dean laughed and the sound filled Roman’s soul, and he nodded, Roman grabbing his coat and hollering that he was going to be walking Dean to his house. Most of the McMahons had left back to their hotels in town, and Roman’s family was all gathered in the living room, playing video games and talking, Shane happily hanging out with them while Stephanie was most likely in the study with her father and Thomas.

The walk was short, and the dried grass crunched under their feet. It was terribly cold already, and Roman shivered. They stood on the small porch to Dean’s home, and they stared at each other for a moment.

“So...guess I can’t ask you to come in for a drink, huh?”

Roman smiled, sad and shook his head.

“Probably not the best idea. Steph has a tendency to snoop, don’t want her thinking…”

Roman frowned, pausing and sighing. 

“Guess I don’t want her guessing the truth.”

Dean frowned as well, his hooded eyes dark, his cheeks and the tip of his nose bright red in the cold, especially visible with his hair still out of the way.

“Rome, I know-I know you still got problems with all this, but-remember, I told you if this is too much-”   
“No, Dean, it’s-that’s not it. I still want this. It’s just hard to get over it in my head. Just knowing-at the most basic level, knowing I’m cheating on my husband-it’s hard.”

“I know, Roman. I-I don’t wanna have to put you through that just to be with you.”

“I’m willin’, though. I’ll get over it, cause I have to, because I wanna be with you. It’s-I haven’t wanted anything for myself in a long time, but I want you.”

Dean leaned against the wall, and looked at Roman for a long minute. 

“I really wanna kiss you.”

Roman smiled, rolling his shoulders. 

“Kiss me tomorrow, then.”

Dean’s smile brightened, and he reached out, patting Roman’s arm. 

“I’ll hold you to that.”

He went inside and Roman turned, smiling and warm even against the November chill. 


End file.
